Glenn Beck on Washington: 'I despise that city'

It portends to be a fierce demonstration: The Tea Party Patriots will assemble at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday for an “Audit the IRS” rally in support of conservative groups that were subject to uncomfortable scrutiny by the federal agency in recent years. The tea partyers will have some high profile company. Independent media maven Glenn Beck plans to be there, despite his own misgivings about visiting the veritable heart of big government.

“There are many things I don’t believe in anymore, and Washington is one of them. And I despise that city now. Because it has just become a symbol of corruption to me, a symbol of grotesque growth, where the rest of us are suffering in the rest of the country,” Mr. Beck told his radio audience, upon announcing that he was going anyway, and would speak at high noon.

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“I will go and stand,” Mr. Beck declared.

The aforementioned Patriots - which represent some 3,400 local groups - say participants will be primed upon arrival. The many buses en route to the event in the next 24 hours will screen “Hating Breitbart” as they roll; the documentary recounts the spirited life of the late provocateur Andrew Breitbart.

“Andrew would have been outraged, as we all are, in light of recent scandals at the IRS, Justice Department and other government agencies - but he wouldn’t have been surprised,” observes Andrew Marcus, the film’s director.

Another filmmaker of note will be on hand Wednesday. Stephen Bannon - the man behind the significant 2011 documentary about Sarah Palin titled “The Undefeated” and other films - is also on the speaker’s roster.